Amanda Terkel finds an interesting theory about the DHS report on right-wing extremism from Pat Robertson who says “It shows somebody down in the bowels of that organization is either a convinced left winger or somebody whose sexual orientation is somewhat in question.”
Look, the Department of Homeland Security is concerned about the possibility of violent right-wing extremism in the United States because we have a history of violent right-wing extremism in the United States. Nobody is saying that everyone who favors low taxes or whatever is on the verge of becoming a terrorist. But you can’t seriously deny that this history of violence exists and that the potential for future violence exists.
Meanwhile, mainstream conservative leaders are doing things like calling for the assassination of the Governor of Illinois and calling for the armed overthrow of the government. Those were members of congress. I think the overwhelming majority of people will understand that those congressmen don’t really want anyone to kill anyone. But it only takes one person on the edge to take this kind of talk too seriously to produce a tragedy. Responsible people should be avoiding that kind of rhetoric.